In this interview with Mindy Sheier of Gamut Management, Karen and Mindy discuss how working in the film industry with a disability is very challenging, books, health, sports coaching, and other topics.
Karen is a signed Actor/Model with Gamut Management. She is available for film, tv, photo-shoots, book signings, consulting, and more. Here’s the interview, https://youtu.be/oVitWpxhmN8
Contact Mindy at Gamut for film, tv, and modeling projects. www.gamutmanagement.com. Click on the Contact tab. Contact Karen for book signings and consulting work.
How many have you seen? There are about 20 books available through bookstores by Karen Goeller, CSCS. Check them out here, www.amazon.com/author/karengoeller.
I hope that you and your family are remaining healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is anything I can do for you. I’m still offering zoom calls at no charge for any athletes who have worked with me within the past year and at a very low cost for everyone else.
Some advice for our athletes…
Try to make strength and flexibility goals for yourself now – for your return to the gym.
Do activities that build strength (bike riding, stair climbing, swing set fitness, swimming, etc)
Do activities that improve speed (sprints, sprints downhill, mountain climbers, flutters in pike and hollow shape)
Try to keep up with body tightness and rebounding (bouncing, jump rope, hopping type drills, push up shape hops)
Keep up with agility (do your pre-workout warm-up daily, playing tag with siblings)
Try to have fun outdoors.
Set a goal for the first week you return to the gym.
Set a goal for two months after you return to the gym.
Set a goal for the next state meet you compete in which would be next year.
Always keep safety in mind when exercising at home and in the gym. You and your parents are responsible for your personal safety at home.
Conditioning List, perform each exercise for 45-60 seconds non-stop or 25 repetitions non-stop. This is very little work compared to a four-hour workout.
1/2 Hollow Up
Hollow Rocks
Arch Ups
Arch Rock
Hip-Thrusts/Baby Candlestick
Reverse Leg-Lifts, Single Leg-Lower-Lift
Alternating Superman
Arch-Legs Only
Pike-Sit Leg-Lifts (Both legs straight and together)
Pike-Sit-Flutters
Straddle-Sit-Leg-Lifts (Both legs at the same time.)
Straddle-Sit Leg Circles (Both legs at the same time.)
V-Ups
Alternating V-Ups
Side Lifts
Side Rocks
Hollow-Arch (Both Sides)
Hollow-Tilt Side to Side
Arch Tilt Side to Side
Plank
Plank-Leg Extension (Lower-Lift Knees)
Plank-Low Back Kicks
Plank-Shrugs (Flat back-round back)
Plank-Forward-Back (Planche-Back)
Side Plank
Side Plank-Lower-Lift Hips
Side Plank-Small Side Kicks
Plank-Side-Plank
Walking or In-Place Lunges (Keep knees in line with middle toes!)
Goeller Laundry Bag Exercises… If you want to workout and do not have weights, use whatever you have! Working out with a laundry bag is definitely unique, effective, and fun. This is a full-body workout with exercises for every major muscle group. If you follow along, Karen only does a few reps of each exercise. Do the entire workout to learn the exercises and then repeat it with a higher number of reps so that you are getting more reps in than what is shown here. Exercises for legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, and core. For more of Karen Goeller’s unique exercise methods check out www.LegsPlus.com and www.SwingWorkouts.com.
Many competitive gymnasts are looking to stay in shape during gymnastics club closures due to this COVID-19 virus. That’s great! Just be sure the home program has effective and appropriate exercises.
Many of the drills and conditioning exercises in these books can be done at home. They are easy to read and simple illustrations help. The Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning book has exercises for press handstand, dance drills and conditioning, uneven bars drills and conditioning, vaulting drills, and running drills. www.GymnasticsDrills.com
The Handstand Drills and Conditioning Book has core strength as well as upper body strength and handstand shape. www.HandstandDrills.com
And if the gymnast has a swing set in their backyard Swing Set Fitness would be very effective for core and conditioning specific to uneven bars. There are three books with swing exercises. The Swing Workouts book has over ten effective workouts. www.SwingWorkouts.com
And finally to keep good general strength gymnasts can use the Legs Plus Workouts. The Legs Plus workouts do involve using light weights and a medicine ball. www.LegsPlus.com
With any home program, the gymnast must be mature enough to focus and follow written instructions. It is preferred the parent read along with the gymnast and be sure the gymnast remains focused during each exercise.
And please remember, with any movement injury is possible. You and your child are responsible for your own personal safety.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Someone asked what I eat for breakfast. I responded honestly, “oatmeal with blueberries, or honey & flax, or gogi berries, or banana…”
Her response, “oats and honey are not good for keto.”
Ummm, not everyone follows that extreme and dangerous diet. I told her it is not a good idea and found her some info on the DANGERS of KETO.
My exact response was, “Keto is not good. Anything extreme is NOT GOOD!!! Just eat HEALTHY FOODS and stop the extreme stuff.”
The keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies, and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause eating disorders. Keto is not safe for people with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.
With such a low carbohydrate keto diet, you likely restricting grains, beans, dairy, fruit, and vegetables, If you eliminate entire groups of food you could end up with a nutritional deficiency. You may end up being low on B-vitamins, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C.
And yes, I also let her know that I’ve been teaching people about health and fitness since the 1980’s.
Here are a few articles on the dangers of the keto diet…
Just eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, some carbs, and some protein. That means, buy most of your food from the produce department including the potatoes, as well as some foods from the meat department.
Just a quick note to say enjoy I hope your holiday season…
Spend time with friends and family, enjoy the colorful lights and decorations, or just relax with your time off from work. No matter how you choose to spend this time, I hope you enjoy it.
Yes, I do have many products and services that would be nice gifts. Here are some links in case you are looking for gifts.
www.LegsPlus.com (legs Plus workouts, exercise every major muscle group within a quick, effective workout.)
www.SwingSetFitness.com (Exercise outdoors with a playground swing. Quick and very effective.)
www.SwingWorkouts.com (Workouts using a playground swing. Have a blastr getting in shape!)
www.LymphedemaBook.com (You’ll be inspired when you see how I went from bed-ridden cancer patient to who I am now. A cancer diagnosis and life afterwards.)
The Box Jump… Not for Gymnastics By Karen Goeller, CSCS
So as a gymnastics coach of 40 years and a CSCS, I’ve spent a lot of time studying injury prevention and sports science. I really specialize in conditioning gymnasts. It’s what I love to do.
Anyway, there are a few useless fitness exercises that I am seeing gymnastics coaches assign to their gymnasts. These exercises bother me because they are not sport-specific, so the gymnast could be spending their time more wisely in order to help their gymnastics performance. The other thing is, many times, they are not being performed with the correct technique. That can cause injury over time.
One of the exercises that really bothers me when I see a gymnast doing it is the box jump. A box placed at hip or chest height and asking the gymnast to jump up to the box. It bothers me because gymnasts do not have to jump that high. For a split jump or straddle jump, they really only need to jump 8-12 inches off the floor. That’s not difficult for most gymnasts.
The other reason I do not like the box jump for gymnasts is because when they land on the box or mat stack they are landing with improper mechanics, poor technique. Many are landing with their buttocks touching their heels. And many are landing with their knees falling in towards one another. Both can cause a good amount of damage over time to the knees, hips, and ankles. We all know that the proper landing technique is with the knees in line with the middle two toes and hip, not swaying in towards one another. A proper dismount landing is with this alignment and no lower than a squat. Why would you train a deep squat? Landing technique is now in the safety certification, finally!
You can do many more sport-specific drills and leg conditioning
exercises such as the step-up-knee-lift, the step-down, and lunge walks. The
step-up-knee-lift is a running drill as well as a strength exercise. The step-down is great for the quadriceps and
the push for a back handspring. The lunge walks are very specific for gymnasts
too. The forward is specific to the push for a round-off or front handspring.
The backward lunge walk is specific to the take-off or jump for a back
handspring. Again, it is imperative that the athlete keeps the knee in line
with the middle toes and hips.
The other reason I do not like the box jump is because it is not at all sport-specific. Gymnasts do not have to jump up to chest height for any skill. They do not have to jump that high for their dance jumps such as split jumps or straddle jumps. And when they are tumbling, doing something such as a double-back, they are not actually jumping as they would for a box jump. They are actually rebounding. There is a big difference between jumping and rebounding. Coming out of a back-handspring and going into a double back there is no actual jump. The set/lift requires the gymnast to stay tight, not jump. That is very different from a jump and that requires very specific conditioning. So, if a gymnast needs more height for tumbling, they must train body-tightness, rebounding, and better tumbling technique, NOT the box jump. Plyometrics should also be done once a week for rebounding technique and lower leg speed.
Benefits of Home Gyms and Fitness Clubs…
Karen Goeller, CSCS
As a fitness trainer and coach for many years, I’ve used both. Each has benefits.
The home gym is nice and private. You can workout in your pajamas, listen to your own music, and even do those crazy exercises you might not want to do in front of others.
You can use your home gym whenever you want, your home gym is open 24-7. That’s great for those who like to workout early in the morning or really late at night.
In your own gym you can stay very focused on your workout without interruption. That’s great for intense workouts or those who are distracted easily. The more intense the workout, the more effective it could be.
There is never a wait for equipment. You can use what you want, when you want. You can go smoothly from one exercise to the next without a long wait for equipment. That helps keep your workout moving along and increases your chance for good results.
And finally, you can shower in your own shower right after your workout, no need to bring a large bag with a bunch of toiletries along with a change of clothes. And no need to worry about all the extra germs that may linger in public showers.
A fitness club is usually more well-equipped than a home gym. That gives you a better chance to perform a variety of exercises. Performing a variety of exercises can lead to a more well-rounded program for better results.
There are a variety of people performing a variety of exercises at fitness clubs. It could be a good way to learn new exercises as long as the person you are watching is performing the exercise with good technique.
There are often classes, actually, a variety of classes. Classes are great for beginners who want guidance, workout routines, or more variety with their exercise program. Classes can be social too.
There are often many fitness trainers in clubs with varying styles of training and knowledge. Members looking to learn new exercises or in need of training can find one in a fitness club. And fitness trainers can help you learn how to adjust or use some of the equipment.
The other members at a fitness club may also be able to help adjust equipment or spot if necessary. Many long-time members already know how to use the equipment or spot each other for an exercise if necessary.
And finally, working out in a fitness club can be social. Where there are people, there can be friends to be made! So, whichever you choose, home workouts or the local fitness club, good luck reaching your fitness goals.
In this interview with Mindy Sheier of Gamut Management, Karen and Mindy discuss how working in the film industry with a disability is very challenging, books, health, sports coaching, and other topics.
I hope that you and your family are remaining healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is anything I can do for you. I’m still offering zoom calls at no charge for any athletes who have worked with me within the past year and at a very low cost for everyone else.
Someone asked what I eat for breakfast. I responded honestly, “oatmeal with blueberries, or honey & flax, or gogi berries, or banana…”
